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DNS Settings for 3 DCs

iliya 1 Reputation point
2021-01-22T13:42:57.557+00:00

HI,

I had a weird issue where i couldnt log into dc1, it kept saying my username / password is wrong. My account is part of the domain admins and i could log into dc2 and dc3. Upon reboot i was able to access dc1, which led me to think there is misconfiguration happening between the 3 DCs. Can someone confirm what the proper DNS settings should be for 3 Domain Controllers in one forest?

dc1 and dc2 are physically in datacenter1 and in the "Default-First-Site-Name" in Active Directory Sites and Services.

dc3 is in a different physical datacenter2 and respectively in a different site than "Default-First-Site-Name" in Active Directory Sites and Services.

Datacenter 1 and Datacenter 2 connect with a WAN leased 10Gig link so bandwidth is not an issue.

ALL 3 DCs provide DNS for redundancy and the settings are as follow.

dc1 IP 10.0.0.130

DNS1: 10.0.0.131

DNS2: 10.0.0.130 <--- itself *should this be loopback address instead???

dc2 IP 10.0.0.131

DNS1: 10.0.0.130

DNS2: 10.0.0.131 <--- itself *should this be loopback address instead???

dc3 IP 10.5.0.130

DNS1: 10.0.0.130 <--dc1

DNS2: 10.0.0.131<--dc2

Is this proper configuration for DNS for all 3 DCs? I feel like as it is nothing is pointing to DC3.

I should also mention that we used openDNS as part of Cisco umbrella which delegates dns to the 3 DCs.

Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2019
A Microsoft server operating system that supports enterprise-level management updated to data storage.
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Windows DHCP
Windows DHCP
Windows: A family of Microsoft operating systems that run across personal computers, tablets, laptops, phones, internet of things devices, self-contained mixed reality headsets, large collaboration screens, and other devices.DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). A communications protocol that lets network administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in an organization's network.
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  1. iliya 1 Reputation point
    2021-01-22T19:26:30.77+00:00

    Wouldnt this also cause Replications issues between the domains if all 3 DCs point to themselves? Is your suggestion considered best practices? i would think this is incorect but i appreciate the response

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-01-22T19:40:21.95+00:00

    I'd suggest working through this one.
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/plan/creating-a-dns-infrastructure-design

    --please don't forget to Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

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  3. Sunny Qi 10,926 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2021-01-25T08:56:51.503+00:00

    Hi,

    Thanks for posting in Q&A platform.

    We recommended best practice is for all DCs to use themselves for primary DNS.

    Secondary DNS should be set based on highest availability and highest access speed. This may leave you with multiple DCs using the same secondary depending on your topology and equipment.

    Best Regards,
    Sunny

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